Vicente Barrios (1825-21 December 1868) was a Paraguayan brigadier general who fought in the Paraguayan War.
Biography[]
Vicente Barrios was born in Asuncion, Paraguay in 1825, and he joined the Paraguayan Army in 1843 before rising to the rank of captain in 1847 and lieutenant colonel in 1853. He accompanied Francisco Solano Lopez on his 1853-1854 tour of Europe before marrying his sister in 1856. After Lopez became President in 1862, Barrios was promoted to brigadier general and was appointed commander of the force sent to invade Brazil at the start of the Paraguayan War in 1864. Barrios enriched himself from stolen goods, and he was made Naval and War Minister on his return to Paraguay. He led one of the four assault columns during the 1866 Battle of Tuyuti, and, despite his defeat at the Second Battle of Tuyuti in 1867, he was promoted to major general. After the Brazilian Navy shelled Asuncion, however, Lopez accused Barrios of treason and had him shot.